A FORMER Riverlander recently brought up a major Hockey SA Premier League milestone.
Will Telfer recently played his 400th game for the North East Hockey Club, after playing his junior hockey in the Riverland.
After joining the club as an 18-year-old, Telfer has gone on to play in three premierships and win Hockey SA’s best and fairest award twice.
Telfer said the significant milestone “crept up” on him.
“You don’t expect to play in the team for 20 years or so, you just keep rocking up and having fun and it just sort of came around,” he said.
“It was a little bit emotional.”
Telfer had plenty of support in the crowd to help celebrate the moment.
“Most of my family came along to watch,” he said.
“My parents came down from Renmark and my brothers and sisters, who live in Adelaide, came along, as well as some of my cousins, which was really nice.”
The 40-year-old said he was grateful for the support he had received from his family throughout his career.
“My family is the reason why I started playing hockey in the first place,” Telfer said.
“Mum has driven me all over the place for me to play, so I am incredibly thankful.”
Telfer said family was the reason he started playing hockey in the first place.
“I was following my older brothers and sisters once they started playing,” he said.
“As one of the younger siblings I just followed what they did and that was probably when I was five or six years old.
“My memory is pretty dodgy, so I don’t remember heaps about when I first started playing club hockey, but I just remember enjoying running around.
“It was good fun controlling the ball and running around with your mates.”
Telfer said he was contacted by the North East Hockey Club when he made the move to Adelaide for his studies.
“I moved to Adelaide when I was turning 19 to come down for university,” he said.
“The coach at North East at the time gave me a call and lined everything up.
“One of my older brothers had also played for the club previously and I’d had the coach as a state coach in juniors.
“I just came down and started playing with them and here we are 22 years later.”
Telfer mentioned some of his more fond memories from his 400 games for the Zulus.
“I have managed to win three premierships with the team, so they are the obvious ones that stand out,” he said.
“I just enjoy running around.
“There are some games where you have really got the touch and are feeling really good, then on other days you have some more forgettable games.
“There are no individual standout games that I remember as being amazing.”
Telfer said he expects this season to be his last.
“It’s not as easy as it used to be and a few niggles with the body are slowing me down,” he said.
“I’m thankful each time I get to run out on the pitch.
“I just want to get through the season, then I think that might be it for me.”